Whitecaps shut out by Burlington Bees

The first two games of the West Michigan Whitecaps’ three-game series against the Burlington Bees featured a combined 27 runs and 39 hits.

The rubber match had a decidedly different tone on Friday, as Burlington’s Tyler DeLoach racked up a career-high 12 strikeouts and the Bees used one big swing to shut out the Whitecaps, 3-0, at Community Field.

By Special to The Sentinel

Holland Sentinel

By Special to The Sentinel

Posted Jul. 20, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jul 20, 2013 at 8:03 PM

By Special to The Sentinel
Posted Jul. 20, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jul 20, 2013 at 8:03 PM

Burlington, Iowa

The first two games of the West Michigan Whitecaps’ three-game series against the Burlington Bees featured a combined 27 runs and 39 hits.

The rubber match had a decidedly different tone on Friday, as Burlington’s Tyler DeLoach racked up a career-high 12 strikeouts and the Bees used one big swing to shut out the Whitecaps, 3-0, at Community Field.

West Michigan (13-14, 46-51) mustered just five hits, four of which came from the top two batters in the order, in a game that was dominated by pitching. Burlington (11-16, 37-55) got a three-run homer from Exicardo Cayones in the first inning that accounted for all of the scoring.

But it was DeLoach (4-2) that stole the show and earned the win, allowing just four hits over seven shutout innings without issuing a walk. His 12 strikeouts easily established a new career-high. The 6-foot-5 lefty finished his outing by punching out the last four batters that he faced and seven of the last nine. He struck out multiple batters in four of his seven innings and allowed a runner to reach scoring position in just two of his seven frames.

After his departure, relievers Chris O’Grady and Cam Bedrosian (3) each threw a scoreless inning to complete the shutout.

Jake Thompson (0-3) suffered the loss despite battling through an outing in which he did not have his usual command. The 19-year-old right-hander was charged with three runs on five hits over five innings, striking out six and walking two.

The only mistake he was unable to work around was the three-run homer by Cayones, which came on an 0-2, two-out pitch in the first inning. He used a double-play ball to get through the second inning before stranding four runners – all of which were in scoring position – over the next three frames.

The top two hitters in the Whitecaps’ order – Danry Vasquez and Jared Reaves – each went 2-for-4. The other seven batters in the lineup, however, were a combined 1-for-25 with 13 strikeouts. A ninth-inning double by Jason King represented the only other hit.